Monthly Archives: January 2016

Japan’s Sumitomo Corp will construct a 50-MW wood biomass power facility on Honshu island. The plant will produce electric power for retail operations of its Tokyo-based subsidiary Summit Energy Corp.

Located in in the Sakata Rinkai Industrial Park, in Yamagata prefecture’s city of Sakata, construction of the biomass plant will begin around June 2016. The facility is expected to begin operations in May 2018. The biomass facility will procure feedstock such as unused wood and timber off-cuts – both locally and overseas.

The project is expected to have an investment of JPY 25 billion (USD 208m/EUR 185m).

Summit Energy already operates a 50-MW biomass power plant in Itoigawa while another 75-MW facility is expected to come up in Handa in June 2017.

With the Sakata project, Sumitomo expects to become a key player in Japan’s biomass power market.

7th Biomass Pellets Trade & Power on 16-19 May, 2016 in Tokyo will discuss the future outlook of Japan’s biomass power market.

The United Kingdom is one of the major countries leading the adoption of biomass power. Drax Power Station – UK’s largest power plant – has already converted two of its coal-fired units to biomass-based ones in 2013 and 2014.

The third unit is expected to be converted in 2015/16 while the company also plans to convert its fourth unit. Drax has a total of 6 power units.

Once Drax succeeds in converting all its power units to biomass feedstock, UK can cut down its carbon emissions – estimated at approximately 12 tonnes of carbon being saved annually.

Meanwhile coal industry is impacted by reduced production owing to lack of demand which in turn has resulted in higher prices.

It’s estimated that the UK witnessed a significant drop in the production of coal-fired power – between July and September 2015, when the output reduced by 54 per cent. During the same period, renewable energy accounted for nearly 20 per cent of the general power production in the country.

It’s projected that biomass supplies will be approximately 2.2 million tonnes in 2015.

The rise in biomass-based electricity is attributed to its ability to reduce greenhouse gases by almost 86 per cent.

Drax Power Station procures its wood pellets from the USA.

However, use of wood pellets is often criticized for destroying forests. Some environmentalists also offer some contrary figures compared to others – claiming that wood pellet firing releases 15-20 per cent more CO2 compared to coal.

At CMT’s Biomass Trade & Power Europe on 22-24 February, 2016 in Copenhagen learn more about Europe and UK’s biomass demand and supply.